The Aging Process
by Passionate Cec
Summary: Jack is working at home and his kids have a question for him concerning that picture on the mantel. Part five of the Tying the Links series.


So, 2nd fic I post today because it's been so long since I last posted. It's starting to become a nasty habit.

Anyway, this is number 5 of the Tying the Links series.

1 - Sweater Love

2 - Girls Just Wanna Have Jell-O

3 - Doing the Honours

4 - Sealing the Family History

5 - The Aging Process

Stargate SG-1 and its characters don't belong to me. I make no money with this story. Its sole purpose is entertainment. No copyright infringement intended.

Let me know what you think. I crave reviews. :)

Enjoy. :)

**The Aging Process**

'Daddy, who is that?'

Jack looked up from the reports piling up on the coffee table which he had decided to take home instead of staying in his office while his wife and children were at home, enjoying a quiet evening. Sam had shot him a sympathetic look when she had seen the briefcase he brought with him and had pulled him into a particularly nice kiss before the two little monsters came rushing down the stairs and hopped into his arms, stealing their mommy's spot.

His son was pointing at the picture of Charlie he kept on the mantel while his daughter's eyes followed her brother's arm and she cocked her head to the side to mirror him, though she probably didn't even realize it. Jack smiled. Jake and Charley looked more like their mother every day and at that moment, eyes wide with wonder and unlimited curiosity, they looked more like her than ever before, despite Jake's chocolate eyes and brown hair and despite Charley's wavy dark blonde hair.

'That's Charlie.' He told the four year old.

The two kids turned around and looked at him, cocking their heads to the side again. _Damn, but they were a sight._ Although it was definitely not always easy to have two kids who were only seventeen months apart, especially when they had started walking and wanted to explore the world, Sam and he were quite happy about that as it allowed them to be very close and get along very well. But sometimes, it was just eerie. Like right then. Both children were looking at him confused and curious, heads a bit to the right, one set of deep chocolate eyes and one set of deep blue eyes firmly set on him in unvoiced question. He momentarily thought they were looking at him the way Sam looked at a new doohickey that ended up in her hands.

'Not Charley.' His daughter argued firmly in her still quite limited vocabulary and language.

'Not Charley.' Jake repeated, even firmer, setting his fists against his hips.

Jack did a double take at that. _Where on Earth had he picked up on that? Surely from Sam. _Charley looked up at him and mirrored the gesture. Jack knew he was in trouble. Here he was, sixty years old, sitting on the couch with his two children, a four year old and a two and half year old, standing in front of him, looking just like their mother when she was about to give him – or them – a lecture. And the youngest one seemed very set on imitating her brother which would mean that she would grow up way too quickly for his taste. He would have to make sure that didn't happen. _There was no chance on Netu he was letting his little girl slip away from him._ Although he was sure she would be in safe hands with her brother who had taken to protecting her, teaching her, guiding her, entertaining her, loving her, caring for her and more than a few other things which he couldn't quite remember right now.

'Nope, you're right, it's not Charley. But it's Charlie.'

It was mean, heartless and confusing and he would have to make sure Sam didn't find out or she would have his head for confusing her little ones. He briefly wondered when he had lost control over the household and his little family and Sam had taken over. He decided it had been right about the time their son first entered the house after he was born.

He had seen Sam in full on mother bear mode a few times and he did not _ever_ want to be on the receiving end of her wrath in those moments. There was little to nothing he feared or was really scared of. Mother bear Sam protecting her cubs was at the very top of the list. As the two frowned, he hoped that she wouldn't step into the living room at that moment or he would be in some serious trouble.

'Come here.' He mumbled, extending both hands to them.

They walked around the coffee table and professionally climbed into his lap while he leaned back in the couch. There was nothing he loved quite as much as this, one arm around each of his kids as they sat in his lap and he had their undivided attention. Being their center of interest as he said something or told them a story was a rare occurrence and he relished it every time it happened. It made him feel important and interesting and he loved that, for once, the responsibility resting on his shoulders was not the life saving kind.

'Before I loved your mommy, daddy loved another woman.' He started only to be interrupted.

'Why?' Jake asked. Jack startled.

'Because I didn't know mommy.'

'Why?' _Oh Lord._

'Because we hadn't met, I suppose.'

'Why?'

'Never had the chance. Jake, do you want to know who that is?' He nodded and Jack noticed Charley's inquisitive eyes move back and forth between Jake and him. 'Good, then listen. Well, daddy loved another woman and we had a son.'

Jake's eyes grew and he gasped. Charley shot him a questioning look, not quite able to reason that far yet. He wasn't even sure she had understood any of what he was saying. He would just have to tell her – them – about Charlie again when she was able to understand.

'Really?'

'Yes. And that was Charlie. But his full name wasn't Charlotte, like you.' He added.

He poked Charley's nose before leaning down to kiss her cheek. She grinned and Jack groaned when she stood on his thigh, her thin arms circling his neck. She might be small and light, she had a knack for pushing pointy body parts where they shouldn't go. Much like her mother actually. He pulled her against his chest and pulled Jake into the hug as well, enjoying the family moment for a while before poking Charley's tummy, tickling her and making her let out a high pitched squeal that all but blew out his ear drums. Still, he didn't let up and soon he was running after the two children to tickle them and making a show off tackling them before letting them get the upper hand and escape again.

Until Charley ran smack into Sam's legs and fell back on her butt, looking up at her mother with a slightly worried expression. She looked over her shoulder, trying to locate Jake, who might have been in a position to help her. But neither he nor her dad were anywhere in sight. She spotted a possible escape and tried to slip between her mommy's legs. But Sam was quicker and easily lifted her up until she pressed her face against Charley's tummy, nuzzling it enough to tickle her and to have her squirming and wiggling in her arms.

Sam pulled her daughter against her chest and kissed her cheek repeatedly, hugging her as she moved her lips to the girl's ear.

'You want to catch Daddy?' She whispered.

The girl nodded and Sam crouched behind one arms of the couch, setting Charley back on her feet between her thighs. She made a show of looking over the arm of the couch though she knew full well that Jack and Jake had taken quarters behind the loveseat. She leaned down to whisper to Charley who was trying to imitate her but had understood that the couch was too high for her so was poking her head out by the side of the couch.

'You see the comfy red seat?' She whispered.

Her daughter nodded, making her blonde locks move around. Sam couldn't resist passing her fingers through the soft hair and pressing her nose against the top of her head to smell the baby shampoo.

'Jake and Daddy are behind it.'

'Jakey and Daddy hide?' Charley asked.

'Yep. You know how to get to the seat from the hall?'

'Yes.'

'Good. You're going to do that. And I'm going to go through here so we can catch them.'

'But Daddy and Jakey see you.' Charley worriedly argued. Sam smiled. The years of training and soldier she and Jack had accumulated must have seeped into their children's genes somehow.

'I'll be okay. You're going to cover for me.' Charley cocked her head to the side and looked at her questioningly. 'When I tell you to, you're going to run to Jake. And I'll take care of Daddy. Oki doki?'

'Doki dokies.'

Sam grinned at that. Her children learning how to talk was so utterly adorable. And it was one thing she would never get tired of. She kissed Charley's cheek and gently patted her butt, sending her on her way, checking on her progress down the hall before resuming her position. Now that Charley and Jake would be taken care of and would start their own game the way they always did, Jack would mean business. No kids in the way meant that they were only two professional soldiers fighting for their fictional turf.

When she thought she had given the girl enough time to reach the other end of the hallway, she yelled a loud 'now, Charley' before running towards the love seat as the toddler crossed to it, obviously focused on her task. Jack appeared all of a sudden and almost managed to tackle Sam but she ducked quickly enough and after a short battle, she managed to straddle him, her hands locked around his wrists. She smiled triumphantly at him, a teasing glint in her eye. She barely registered the fact that their kids were still giggling and squealing in the background.

'You've lost your touch General O'Neill.' She breathed, barely resisting the urge to lean down and kiss him silly.

But she realized Jake and Charley were still in the room and this wasn't something they needed to see. Not for another few years and most definitely not when their parents were the main protagonists of the scene.

'Have I?' He asked suggestively and Sam groaned, knowing that he was referring to their times in the bedroom which really wasn't helping her not take it there. The cheerful laughter and loud screeches were definitely helping though. 'You haven't, Colonel Carter.'

'I still see a bit more action that you do.'

He groaned and Sam unlocked his wrists, her hands trailing across his arms and chest until she was fully sitting on him and he was just lying on the floor. All of a sudden, they were attacked by two little tornadoes, one of them jumping onto Sam's back as the other one dropped heavily onto Jack's chest which caused him to cough loudly until he could breathe normally again and shoot Charley a glare that did not have any effect. He looked up at Sam, laughing when he saw Jake's arms and legs wrapped around her like a little monkey. She wiggled around, trying to make him let go but he wouldn't so she resorted to greater measures and took to tickling him until he was sliding down and landing on Jack's legs. He circled his mom and crawled into her arms, quickly imitated by his little sister. Sam maneuvered until she was lying on the ground next to Jack, her head against his shoulder, Charley flat on her chest while Jake rested comfortably on both of them.

They were quiet and immobile for a while until Jack kissed the top of her head. Her eyebrows shot up when he pushed up a bit to kiss Jake's head and she heard his vertebras pop. Sam moved a hand to set it flat where the sound had come from when she saw him shudder a bit and roll his shoulders.

'You okay?'

'Yep. Never a nice sensation though.' She smiled sympathetically.

'We're too old for this.'

'Yes. And you're still on the good side of fifty.'

'Already on the bad side of forty though.' He shot her a glare. 'I know, I know, you're already on the bad side of fifty.'

'And they're still on the good side of ten.' Sam laughed.

'Is it really the good side?'

'Sure. No boys running after my baby girl.' Sam raised an eyebrow and he knew that she thought about all the times they saw Jake running after Charley. 'That's different. He's her brother.'

'Right.'

'Which makes me think, why again did we think it would be a good idea to run around with them?'

Sam chuckled and rubbed Charley's back. No matter how much energy the girl pretended she had, it was already past bed time for her and she was clearly getting tired and grumpy.

'Because we love them and you never feel as young as when you're with them.'

'Something like that yeah. Until you land on the floor and you can't stand up again.' Sam giggled. Jack glared.

'You know, we have a perfectly functional bed upstairs. Maybe we could relocate there.'

Jack simply grumbled in approval. He might complain about his age and he might be starting to feel it, Sam was right. He never felt younger than when he was with Charley and Jake and there wasn't a thing in the world he would trade for those moments when his little family didn't have a care in the world and he could hold them in his arms, hug them, kiss them as much as he wanted to. But if that could happen in a bed rather than on the ground, he wouldn't mind all that much.


End file.
